short and sweet - a pie in the sky
thanks to a friend for this tip.
based on the impressive number of customers we saw on our first visit to a pie in the sky in el cerrito, we wondered if we were maybe the last to learn about the sweet little seasonal pie party happening every other weekend at 436 richmond street, opposite the el cerrito BART station.
look for the homemade signs; walk-ins are welcome but we recommend checking the schedule and ordering ahead. photo credit berkeley eats.
a sunny, homestyle "pie cottage" (renovated garage) down an el cerrito driveway provides charming welcome to those arriving to collect their orders from young baker-entrepreneur veronica chin.
chin has been baking since 2016, and selling her small-batch wares around the east bay since before the pandemic. her blog is a smart, positive, community-focused window onto the journey of food entrepreneurship; as with many pop-ups, the events of 2020 seemed to have helped kick her cottage business into higher gear.
veronica's mother, affectionately known to fans as "mama chin," was behind the counter on busy halloween, welcoming us warmly, checking off order lists, fetching fresh, chilled pumpkin-butternut pies, topped with whipped-cream ghosts, from the cottage refrigerator.
an earlier email reminded us to bring a cooler bag for our choice, a mini 5" pumpkin-butternut pie, along with a second mini pie (and our favorite), the clean, not-too-sweet, apple-pear-pineapple quince enveloped in a rich-brown, buttery crust, recently pulled from the oven to cool.
we appreciated the very clear list of ingredients for each treat, as well as the equally clear instructions on how to best reheat or chill and when to serve. our little pie flight was really best enjoyed, said the instructions, day of purchase for both. gladly. we picked up some vanilla ice cream to add to the cooler bag on the way home.
a pie in the sky is at 436 richmond street in el cerrito, and runs every other saturday unless indicated. the seasonal menu features large and mini pies, or pie by the slice, as well as additional treats such as palmiers. walk-ups are welcome, but we recommend ordering ahead (especially in november!).
november 1, 2025